MLB franchise rankings, Part 3: We've reached the Top 10
We've somehow already reached the midway point of the 2020s. theScore's MLB editors look back at the previous five seasons and rank each club on how they've done over that span. We wrap up with teams 10-1.
Few organizations have done more with less this decade than the Guardians. The story always starts with pitching in Cleveland, from Shane Bieber's 2020 Cy Young campaign to Emmanuel Clase posting an all-time great 2024 season for a closer. Since the club traded away Francisco Lindor in 2021, José Ramírez has been the glue that holds it all together. He's yet to finish outside the top 10 in MVP voting, and the five-year, $124-million extension he signed in early 2022 remains an absolute bargain. Where the Guardians have struggled is turning regular-season success into deep playoff runs. They've made the ALCS just once in three postseason trips, bowing out to the New York Yankees in five games this past October. Eventually, the front office needs to spend to have a real shot at a title.
The past five years have been a roller coaster for the Padres, who made multiple playoff appearances but haven't been able to capture the franchise's first World Series title despite a star-studded roster and enormous spending. With Peter Seidler in charge, San Diego's front office got the green light to acquire stars like Juan Soto, Blake Snell (who won a Cy Young), Dylan Cease, Xander Bogaerts, and Luis Arraez (who won a batting title). A.J. Preller and his staff have not enjoyed the same kind of flexibility since Seidler's death in November 2023, and now the Padres' farm system is among the worst in baseball after trading most of their top prospects. With an ownership dispute now in the courts, San Diego may have missed its golden chance at winning a championship.
In some ways, it might not seem like a successful half decade in Milwaukee, yet many franchises would swap places with the Brewers in a heartbeat. They boast the majors' sixth-best record since 2020 and the third-most wins among NL teams. They've posted three 90-win seasons and reached the playoffs four times. The odds have often been against the small-market franchise, even in the NL Central. Milwaukee's watched longtime president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell leave for higher-profile destinations. Ownership rarely spends big, and the club traded Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, and Devin Williams in the midst of its success. Yet the Brewers have excelled at finding big-league talent, namely in trades for Willy Adames and William Contreras, to keep them in contention. The lack of October results - a 2-7 record with no series wins - hurts, but the expanded playoffs can also be a crapshoot.
The Rays haven't recaptured the magic that fueled their World Series run to start the decade. They've lost seven straight postseason games dating back to 2021 and scored just two runs over their last four. They traded away many of their stars - including Randy Arozarena and Tyler Glasnow - to avoid paying them. Meanwhile, Wander Franco, who inked the biggest contract in the organization's history, may never play another MLB game. Still, the Rays continue to punch above their weight. Tampa Bay won the fourth-most games in MLB - and the most in the AL East - over the last five seasons despite ranking 26th in payroll. The Rays just need to find a way to extend their regular-season strength into October.
A shocking 2023 World Series win vaulted the Rangers up our rankings despite an otherwise poor performance. Flags fly forever. Following a 102-loss season in 2021, things started to shift in a positive direction after they signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Texas is the only team in our top eight that didn't win a division title (the club finished 2023 with the same record as the Astros but lost the tiebreaker). Financial issues related to the team's regional television deal created uncertainty in 2024, contributing to a 78-win season and playoff miss, but Chris Young and his staff appear to be back on track ahead of the 2025 season. Seven different players represented the Rangers at the All-Star Game over the past two campaigns, and youngsters Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, and Evan Carter look like future stars.
After two middling years to start the decade, the Phillies roared back to life and emerged as a powerhouse. They've posted four winning seasons while reaching the NLCS twice and winning a pennant in 2022. Zack Wheeler, originally signed to a $118-million contract in 2020, has been a steal; he's been the decade's best pitcher by fWAR. Their rotation has been the sport's best overall, and the lineup, led by 2022 NL MVP Bryce Harper, is powerful. Yet they've still fallen short of expectations. Their one World Series berth came in the year nobody expected it. Philadelphia's 90-win 2023 edition lost the NLCS in seven games, and this year's 95-win club was dispatched by the Mets in the division series in another monumental upset. With an aging core, the pressure is on the Phillies to win, and soon.
The Yankees' 2020s have been defined by the offensive brilliance of Aaron Judge. The slugger set the AL record for home runs (62) in 2022 and won two MVP awards in a three-year span. Unfortunately, he's struggled to replicate that success in October. The Yankees made it back to the World Series in 2024 for the first time since winning the 2009 title, but they lost to the Dodgers. The club also acquired Juan Soto and then watched him leave for the crosstown Mets after just one season in pinstripes. The Yankees will remain a factor as long as they spend money. The rest of their decade will be judged on whether it pays off with a championship.
The 2020s started poorly for the Astros when they were at the center of a sign-stealing scandal that rocked MLB, leading to suspensions and firings for then-manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. And yet, the organization just kept winning. Houston reached the ALCS in each of this decade's first four seasons - extending a run that dated to 2017 - and hasn't missed the playoffs in the 2020s while capturing four AL West crowns, two pennants, and the 2022 World Series title. The Astros' only losing season came in the shortened 2020 campaign - and even then, they still made the playoffs and forced a Game 7 in the ALCS after going down 3-0. Houston has continued to roll despite letting Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Gerrit Cole leave in free agency, but the club also spent nearly $950 million to maintain its AL West dynasty. Like 'em or not, there's no arguing that the Astros are the AL's most successful franchise of the 2020s thus far.
The Braves have been a model of success in the 2020s. Atlanta locked up homegrown talent and enjoyed consistent success, highlighted by a World Series win over the Astros in 2021. The Braves won four of five NL East titles and won at least 100 games in each of the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. The core is under club control for the foreseeable future, ensuring Atlanta's window to contend is wide-open, but keeping stars Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider healthy and productive will be key. In addition to team success, Braves players have picked up a pair of MVP awards, plus a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year.
Five years in, it's plain that the 2020s belong to the Dodgers. Dave Roberts' club hasn't posted a winning percentage below .605 this decade. The Dodgers won four of five division titles and missed out on the fifth by one game in 2021 - a year they still reached the NLCS. They're the only team with multiple World Series titles this decade. Five of MLB's top 10 position players by fWAR in the 2020s have spent some - or all - of this decade with the Dodgers; no other franchise has more than two players. Ownership has stopped at nothing to field a winner, spending $1.14 billion to collect superstars. All the while, Andrew Friedman and Co. continue to operate one of baseball's best player development systems. It's fair to criticize their pitching program and their inability to keep talented hurlers healthy. Still, the Dodgers have firmly established themselves as the gold standard in MLB.